Signal-lantern



(No Model.)

F. P. COPPER 8a A. BAIR.

SIGNAL LANTERN.

N0. 345,575. Z Patented July 13, 1886.

WITNESSES INVENTOR/S' Ufllrl n 756 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. COPPER AND ALVIN BAIR, OF TIFFIN, OHIO.

SIGNAL-LANTERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 345,575, dated July 13,1886.

Application filed April 21, IP86. Serial No. 199,649. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK P. COPPER and ALVIN BAIR, citizens of theUnited States, residents of Tiffin, in the county of Seneca and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signals; andwe do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of referencemarked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

Figurelof the drawings is a representation of a vertical section of asignal as applied to a lantern. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the base,and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Our invention relates to railroad-signals designed for use in lanterns,and for all other signal purposessu ch as at switches,railroadcrossings, signals of all kinds, &c.; and it consists in theconstruction-and novel combina tion of parts, as hereinafter described,andpointed out in the claims.

In illustrating and describing our invention we have shown it applied toa lantern, as such an illustration of its use will enable personsskilled in the art to which our invention appertains to construct anduse the same in other places.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates the bodyof the lantern,which is of the construction usually employed by railroadmen, with the exceptions particularly pointed out hereinafter.

B is the perforated base which supports the lamp-chimney, and isconnected by the wire guard-frame O to the annular deflector D at thetop of the chimney.

Above the deflector D,and secured thereon, is the ventilator E, andthrough this ventilator the bail F, for carrying the lantern, passes.

G is the detachable base of the lantern, which is secured to theperforated base B by the bayonct-fastenings usually employed in thisclass of lanterns.

H designates the lamp, which consists of the oil-chamber H, into whichthe wick-tube is secured in the usual manner.

The oil-chamber H is provided with vertical grooves J J in its outerwall, said vertical grooves being diametrically opposite to each other,and in these grooves J J vertical arms K K, which hold a colored-glasstube, L,

slide, when operated. by the bail M, hinged to L the lower ends of saidarms K K, said bailM being pushed upwardly'to project said glass tube L,and pulled down upon to retract or lower said tube L. \Vhen this tube Lis retracted or drawn down so as not to surround the flame of theburner, the hinged bail is turned up against the bottom of the lamp andengages a spring-catch, N, secured upon the bottom face of the lamp.

Outside of and encircling the inner coloredglass tube, L, which we willmake the danger signal, (green,) is a second colored-glass signal,(red,) which is secured by vertical arms I? P, which pass along theoutside of said tube and clamp over its upper edges,the lower ends ofsaid vertical arms P I? being connected to the upper ends of the arms SS of the larger outer bail, 'I, by pivot connections, so that thisbail,too,may be turned up out of the way and brought into engagementwith a springcatch, U, 011 the under face of the bottom of the lamp tohold the bail out of the way when this outer cylinder is drawn down fromaround the flame. A third spring-catch, V, is secured to the under faceof the bottom of the lamp,

. its free end being turned up immediately below the central point ofthe bottom of the lamp,so that when either of the hinged bails arepushed up in their respective slots, at a orb b, said bails will engagesaid spring-catch V and will hold the bail and the proper cylinder inthe elevated position, thereby determining the color of the signaldesired to be displayed.

W is a stationary cylindcr,which surrounds the outer sliding cylinderand is provided with vertical guides W W in the inner face of its wall,at diametrically-opposite points therein, and in these grooves thevertical arms I? P, slide when the outer sliding tube is pushed up orpulled down around the wick-tube.

Instead of being applied to a hand-lantern, it is obvious that this sameconstruction of colored-glass sliding tubes may be applied to the lightsat railroad-crossings and at switches, and in all other places wheresignals are needed.

Having described this invention, what we IOC claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. Thec01nbination,inasignal-light,ofa base and an oil-holder, aspring-catch centrally ored-glass slide exterior to the flame, a hingedarranged on the under side of the base, a colbail secured to the slide,slots in the base for the passage of the bail, and a catch, as N,whereby the said bail may be engaged by one ofthe catches when thecolored slide is in an elevated and a depressed position, substantiallyas specified.

2. The combination,in a lantern, of the external fixed tube havingvertical guides and the oil-holder,also having guides, the coloredglassslide-tubes adapted to move in said guides, the hinged hails secured tothe said slides, the slots for the passage of the bail,

and the catch on the under side of the slides for holding the slides inan extended position, substantially as specified.

3. The combiuation,in a lantern, of the oilholder, the base having thecatches N U V on its underside, as described, the external fixed tubehaving diametrical Vertical guides, the vertical guides in the oilholder, the colored-glass slides, and the hinged arms secured to theslides, and the slots for the passage of the said arms, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

. FRANK P. COPPER.

ALVIN BAIR. Vitnesses:

B. F. them, A. E. STEINBRICK.

